Author Topic: Dakar Rally 2006 (Read 4633 times)

Sven · « **on:** January 03, 2006, 07:31:10 PM »

OLN (the new home of "my NHL"!) is covering the 2006 Dakar Rally. They are having a daily round-up, with some sort of expanded coverage on Saturdays. See http://www.olntv.com/nw/article/view/673/?UserDef=true&catID=76 for OLN's schedule.

If you enjoyed LONG WAY ROUND with Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman, Charley is participating in the rally with a TV series to follow. For more on Charley's run, see http://www.racetodakar.com/

The rally has been running since New Year's Eve and goes through the 15th. See http://www.dakar.com/ for the official rally site.

jimmym1296 · « **Reply #1 on:** January 03, 2006, 07:48:58 PM »

My d%*n cable company moved OLN & Speed channel to their new digital lineup. Of course they want for money for them now and they didn't lower my bill for the lesser offerings they now provide. Might be time to look at a dish.

Sven · « **Reply #2 on:** January 03, 2006, 08:19:49 PM »

I just switched to DirecTV when I moved last month. The installation didnt go very smoothly...they kept sending people who did not bring a ladder for a 2-story house. Also, if you sign up for the service, you need to ask about HDTV if you are interested...HD takes a different dish, a different receiver box, and a different DVR (Tivo) unit....and it's their policy not to ask if you need HD! Idiots!

However, once all was up and running, I've learned to like the service a LOT and it took a couple days to learn how to Tivo but I've quickly learned to love it! The picture quality of a Tivo program is so much better than VCR. BTW, Tivo takes TWO cables from the signal amplifier to your box if you want to watch one thing while taping another.

All this is to say that DirecTV seems to include a lot more programming in the various packages that TimeWarner did in comparable packages. For example, TW gave me ONE Fox Sports South feed, which meant that they would let me watch the Preds only if the Grizzlies weren't on. On DirectV, I get the FSS feed, plus a Grizzlies game if on, plus a Preds game if on, so it's like getting THREE FSS feeds, and I don't even have the special sports tier.

b4cruz · « **Reply #3 on:** January 03, 2006, 09:57:21 PM »

everyone should keep yelling till its all free
google and opera and AVG
all free unless you are corperate

as capitalist consumers we already give 85% of our lives to
advertisements why should we have to pay for them too

the DAKAR website has decent photos and reports anyway
its not bad to check on a daily basis

Sven · « **Reply #4 on:** January 03, 2006, 10:41:10 PM »

Quote from: "b4cruz"

everyone should keep yelling till its all free...as capitalist consumers we already give 85% of our lives to
advertisements why should we have to pay for them too

Blows against the empire, my friend. In a world where people are paying to watch video clips on postage stamp-sized cell phone screens, you're pissin' in the wind!

gtbandit · « **Reply #5 on:** January 04, 2006, 02:31:00 AM »

Dish Network no longer carries OLN! The cable company that owns OLN (Comcast?) increased thier rates to the satelite companies so Dish Network just dropped them! The consumer ends up the big loser. OLN programming was better all the time with more motorcycle related shows. A refreshing constrast from Fox's Speed channel which shows less and less motorcycle racing and worthwhile motorcycle shows. Instead, we get yet even more NASCAR shows and biker "lifestyle" shows. I sure would like to watch the rally. But, hey I get to watch 3 episodes of Texas Hardtails in a row!

On a positive note, the motorcross files are quite interesting!

aussiebandit · « **Reply #6 on:** January 04, 2006, 04:26:41 AM »

Maybe someone can confirm it for me as I only caught the tail end of the program, but is some looney taking a HD VROD on the Paris Dakar.

Red01 · « **Reply #7 on:** January 04, 2006, 06:11:33 AM »

I don't get OLN either. Bums me out that Dakar isn't covered by Speed anymore (I do get that), so I can't confirm or deny a V-Wadd in this year's event, but I do recall a post from last year or the year before where a guy was building a VR based hack to compete in Dakar and I know it wasn't ready last year - so perhaps it is true?

aussiebandit · « **Reply #8 on:** January 04, 2006, 06:38:53 AM »

I just got an email from mate with the following link

http://hogwildracing.com/index.shtml

Reading it briefly, they're racing a VROD powered off road side car.

Red01 · « **Reply #9 on:** January 04, 2006, 07:05:02 AM »

Yup, that's the one I was thinking of.

tacoman · « **Reply #10 on:** January 04, 2006, 02:20:21 PM »

Is the Dakar mellowed out this year? I was reading in Dirt Bike magazine the Big Twins KTM used to field are done. They go with the 640 singles now. After the death of Fabrizio Meoni last year they tamed things some. Scot Harden (of KTM N. America) said Meoni was a madman, he would fly the big 950 twin off blind dunes at 80+ mph. I suppose thats why he's no longer around.

Red01 · « **Reply #11 on:** January 04, 2006, 07:43:51 PM »

IIRC, this year's rule change to drop the big twins was already made public before last year's running.

Jacknife · « **Reply #12 on:** January 04, 2006, 08:19:47 PM »

Quote from: "aussiebandit"

some looney taking a HD VROD on the Paris Dakar.

Yer they are in the starting line up, has no one told them is on sand?

Red01 · « **Reply #13 on:** January 04, 2006, 08:23:44 PM »

I think they knew...

Here's a pre-Dakar testing pic:

I thought it was interesting that in 2003 they were testing with a Suzuki TL-R powered setup:

Bantana · « **Reply #14 on:** January 08, 2006, 01:48:29 PM »

The Harley Crew withdrew from the event before completing the third day. This stage was in Morocco and half of it was paved. So much for American build quality. The KTM's are kicking butt with the first Japanese bike, a Yamaha, in 13th palce. OLN channel everyday at 4pm EST.